O'Connor Named EIWA Wrestler of the Year After Winning NCAA Title

Photo courtesy of Tabitha Wilson.

Senior J. P. O'Connor has been named EIWA Wrestler of the Year,
following his championship performance last weekend at the NCAA
Championships in Omaha, Neb. O'Connor went undefeated at 157 pounds
this season, finishing with a record of 35-0.

O'Connor is the third NCAA wrestling champion in Harvard
history, and the third three-time All-American. He placed fifth in
2007 and sixth in 2008, both times at 149 pounds. Previous Harvard
champions were John Harkness in 1938 and Jesse Jantzen in 2004.

After defeating Cal Poly's Chase Pami 6-4 in the championship
final, O'Connor comment in his post-match press conference.
“I just had the fire and determination to win it this year. I
truly believed that I could win it during my sophomore and junior
years, but I just didn't turn out that way, which was
disappointing. I tried to turn it into a positive and thought about
it every day.”